‘Work needs to be done soon or the whole site could be lost’ — that’s the dire message the owners of East Cowes’ Norris Castle.
Tucked away at the top of the town, next to the Osborne Estate, with views overlooking The Solent, Norris Castle has been, and still is, a site of local mystery.
After being shut away from the public for many years, the Grade I listed building, built in 1799 by architect James Wyatt, along with the rest of its farm buildings and estate, has been opened up by developers, GTS Property, who have been working over the past 5 years to ‘reinstate and protect’ the historic asset, according to the team.
A website, www.norris-castle.com, has been launched for the public to interact with, showing the developer’s intentions, photos and drone footage and a question and answer section.
Clynt Wellington, from GTS Property, said:
“The Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions has affected our face-to-face engagement, following 12 months of careful review on the heritage, viability and planning.
“The website will therefore allow the team to engage with the public following our previous consultation and provide updates along with our plans and proposals as they develop, encouraging direct feedback from the public.”
GTS are proposing to turn the Norris Estate into a new 5-star destination for the Island, with a hotel, branded residences and housing, which they hope will safeguard the area for future generations, and will ‘attract local and international partners, ensuring the long-term viability of the estate.’
With the plan going into its final stages, developers have warned they will need to act sooner rather than later due to the decline and erosion of the site over the last 50 years — which has led to the estate finding itself on Historic England’s ‘at risk’ register.
Mr Wellington said:
“Significant investment is needed to not only bring the buildings back to their former glory but also address the significant landslip problem and the coastal erosion issues which are compromising the structural integrity of the site and reducing the practicability of safeguarding the assets.
“Doing nothing is not an option and it is therefore imperative that urgent action is taken to halt the further decline of the estate whilst providing a long-term use to maintain it.”
Pictures of the decline and erosion have been shared on the new website, showing just how bad the conditions are of some of the castle’s rooms.
There has also been an increase in the level of trespassing, vandalism and attempted break-ins at the castle, despite the 24 hour security, which has lead to more security measures being installed, while liaising with public authorities.
Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely has visited the castle and discussed plans with the development team, and has said he looks forward to seeing how the ‘potentially important plans’ develop. Mr Seely said:
“I welcome consultation between the owners of Norris Castle and the local community. It is important we give feedback and I encourage people to do so.
“When the post-Covid recovery begins, we will need new developments and new projects to create new jobs on the Island.”
Residents who do not have internet access are invited to call the project helpline number 0800 121 4890 for more information.
It is thought a planning application will be submitted in 2021.
WTF! My windows could do with being double glazed, I need a new re-roof. I want to rent it out as holiday let. Hi people, I know times are tough, covid and all that but spare some cash for a poor old developer. I need to be kept in the manor( pun intended) I’m accustomed to.
Another piece of beautiful history to be ruined by being turned into yet more housing developments to make the developer a fortune whilst ‘using’ the excuse of ‘saving of an historic building’ as the reason to gain approval and likely funding to turn history into immoral profit and ruin the site, not for a while, but for the rest of time.
See it how it is, not how they ‘wish’ to portray it.
Put a grass strip in .would make a great destination for GA pilots .
doing nothing is an option – it is a feature of a bygone era and should fade away into history – we do not need another massive old house having cash wasted on it.
If a developer wants to take a risk on a site which is invisible off-site, with potential for employment and re-use of a brownfield, then I see no problem. It’s not as though Norris has been available/used by locals or tourists at any time in the past. Just make sure it’s not public money!
Seems to me to be a commercially unviable pipe dream…
Too many people live in the past.. sadly… how can we move forward when all stuck in the mud ! Wo wants to look at a crumbling old eye sore of a building.. we recycle waste and upcycle furniture.. so why not buildings… you all complain of the eye sores throughout the towns that could be turned into homes.. what’s the difference ? Live for tomorrow, not 100 years ago.. amazed we have electricity with you people…
If the owners of Norris Castle had not let it decay so bad, I would understand keeping it.. but they did not..
It wouldn’t be just the restoration of the castle it be all the baggage that goes with it.
Agree you own property you got to maintain it not expect other to do it for you then you sell and pocket the cash ,,, be very nice tho
This is a building of significant history for the isle of wight and if they want to bring it back from the brink then good for them. Just as long as it doesn’t involve building 50 houses round it.
It would be much better if it was national trust owned and restored to its original heritage condition.
Queen Victoria used to go there as a child on holidays and she tried to buy it with Albert many years later. Failing that purchase, they build Osborne House. It must have been grand to not want to let it go.
no, the national trust is full of hand wringing apologists that would find some tenuous link to slavery and spend months slavering over apologies and witch hunts for their own personal gain.